Links

Breadcrumbs

Educational Leadership

Academic Year: 2009 – 2010

The purpose of the Educational Leadership Program is to prepare collaborative, proactive educational leaders committed to improving the quality of leadership in a variety of organizational contexts. This is achieved by assuming leadership positions or roles within educational organizations and classrooms, engaging in scholarly inquiry about school and classroom leadership, meeting state and national standards and school reform initiatives, as well as improving practices within educational arenas.

The Educational Leadership Program is characterized by an integration of a wide variety of scholarly and clinical activities oriented toward practical application of intellectual, democratic, and ethical aspects of school and classroom leadership. These include formal courses, clinical experiences, research, and the master’s closure activities. Educational Leadership offers two master’s degrees: Educational Leadership and Teacher Leadership (online).

The Educational Leadership Program also offers a post-master’s certificate leading to a superintendent’s endorsement. The post-master’s courses are offered on a cohort basis, with a group of students going through the set sequence of courses together.

Grading Policy
A passing grade in an EDL course is considered to be B or above. A failing grade is given for work below that level. Grades of C awarded during the effective period of this catalog will be counted, provided that an equal or greater number of A credits are earned in EDL courses. However, no more than eight hours of C grades will be accepted.

Communication and Library Skills
Oral and written communication skills are practiced and evaluated in most EDL courses. Satisfactory completion of the master’s closure activities fulfills the UIS communication skills requirement. Completion of EDL 505 Introduction to Research and EDL 541 Educational Research Methods satisfies the library skills requirement.

MASTER of ARTS in EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP

The M.A. in Educational Leadership is designed to meet the professional growth and in-service needs of Illinois educators. The EDL concentration provides for a carefully planned set of experiences designed to develop the knowledge, skills, and competencies needed for elementary and secondary administrative leadership positions. Courses in the program are appropriate for classroom teachers, State Board of Education personnel, central administrative staff, and school board members. A wide selection of courses is available to meet students’ needs and interests while fulfilling degree and/or certification requirements.

The curriculum provides an opportunity to obtain the M.A. in Educational Leadership, as well as an option to fulfill state requirements for the Type 75 general administrative (principalship) certificate. The master’s degree requires the completion of 40 semester hours of course work, including 32 semester hours of EDL courses.

Entrance Requirements for the M.A. in Educational Leadership
Students must apply to UIS before it is possible to enroll in courses. To be eligible for full admission to the Educational Leadership Program, a student must have completed a bachelor’s degree with a grade-point average of 3.00 or better on a 4.00 scale. A student can be conditionally admitted if the GPA is between 2.50 and 3.00. Conditional admission means that the student must achieve a GPA of 3.00 or better in the first eight hours of course work in the EDL P rogram. If a student achieves the required GPA within those first eight hours, he or she will be fully admitted to the program. Transfer credit is evaluated on a course-by-course basis with the faculty advisor and approval of the EDL chair.

Applicants working toward an administrative certificate must hold a valid state-issued teaching certificate. A photocopy of the certificate should be submitted at the time of application to the EDL Program. All admission materials must be received before June 15 for admission to the Educational Leadership master’s degree program for the fall semester, before November 15 for the spring semester, and before April 1 for the summer session. Late applications will be considered for the following semester.

Degree Requirements
The EDL master’s degree requires completion of 40 semester hours. There are four core area requirements for the educational leadership degree. These are:

Certification Requirements
Individuals interested in obtaining administrative positions in Illinois public schools must be properly certified. General requirements established by the State Teachers Certification Board include a master’s degree, two years of documented successful full-time teaching or school service personnel experience, 32 semester hours of required graduate courses, which include clinical experiences. Courses required for the general administrative certificate can be completed in the ADL concentration. Detailed information about course requirements is available from the program office. All students desiring Type 75 certification from the ISBE must apply for admission to the certificate program. Requirements are a valid, completed master’s degree or admission to the Educational Leadership master’s degree program. Clinical experiences are required for Type 75 administrative certification.

Advising
A student is assigned an advisor when he or she is admitted to the EDL Program. The student is expected to contact the advisor during the first semester of enrollment. The advisor will assist the student in planning his/her program of studies and is also available to provide career counseling.

MASTER of ARTS in TEACHER LEADERSHIP – ONLINE

The M.A. in Teacher Leadership (MTL) is designed specifically for teachers who wish to assume leadership roles within and beyond the classroom but who are not interested in obtaining an administrative certificate. It is conducted entirely online and is characterized by lectures, text reading, discussions, and projects, with emphasis on reflection and writing. Courses include studies in teaching, leadership, research, technology use, and a master’s closure project. Courses in MTL meet the requirement for teacher certificate renewal. The master’s degree requires the completion of 40 semester hours of course work, including 32 hours of MTL course work.

Entrance Requirements for the M.A. in Teacher Leadership
In order to be admitted to the EDL Program and the MTL degree program, students must apply to UIS. To be eligible for full admission to the Educational Leadership program, a student must have completed a bachelor’s degree with a grade-point average of 3.00 or better on a 4.00 scale. A student can be conditionally admitted if the GPA is between 2.50 and 3.00. Conditional admission means that the student must achieve a GPA of 3.00 or better in the first eight hours of course work in the EDL Program. If a student achieves the required GPA within those first eight hours, he or she will be fully admitted to the program. Transfer credit is evaluated on a course-by-course basis with the faculty advisor and approval of the EDL chair.

While applicants for MTL should be active in some form of education, a teaching certificate is not required for admission. Application for admission must be made to the university along with completion of a personal data form on the MTL website, and discussion of student needs and program requirements with the coordinator or another assigned faculty advisor.

Degree Requirements
The MTL master’s degree requires completion of 40 semester hours. There are four core area requirements for the teacher leadership degree. These are:

Advising
Advising for MTL is conducted by the MTL coordinator or another assigned faculty advisor. Initial advising must be completed by the end of the student’s first semester. The faculty advisor assists the student in planning his/her program of studies and is also available to provide career counseling. See http://mtl.uis.edu for further details.

POST-MASTER’S CERTIFICATE

The Post-Master’s Certificate Program has two distinct concentrations. The Superintendent’s Endorsement is designed to meet the professional growth needs of Illinois educators who are prepared for central office leadership positions. The Chief School Business Official (CSBO) Endorsement is designed to prepare Illinois educators for advanced study and preparation in the organization and administration of the management of fiscal, physical, and human resources of a public school district in Illinois. Courses in either concentration are appropriate for candidates who are currently employed as building principals, State Board of Education personnel, and central administrative staff. Courses include a carefully planned set of standards-based experiences designed to develop knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to meet candidates’ needs and interest in the areas of the superintendent’s endorsement and/or chief school business official endorsement. Candidates may work to meet the certification requirements for both concentrations within the Post-Master’s Certificate Program.

The Post-Master’s Certificate Program leading to the Superintendent’s Endorsement requires the completion of 36 semester hours of coursework, which includes 32 hours of EDL courses and two semesters (two credit hours each) of clinical experiences.

The Chief School Business Official (CSBO) Endorsement is a blended model of delivery which requires the completion of 34 semester hours of coursework in an online and on-campus delivery system, which includes 28 hours of EDL courses and three semesters (two credit hours each) of clinical experiences.

GRADUATE CERTIFICATE in LEGAL ASPECTS of EDUCATION (Online)

By completing nine of the 10 courses in the Legal Aspects of Education online course series, teachers can receive a special graduate certificate. This program provides opportunities for educational leaders to increase their knowledge base about legal issues currently facing their profession. It is aimed at teacher-leaders seeking to advance their professional education credentials.

GRADUATE CERTIFICATE in PATHWAY to the PRINCIPALSHIP for NATIONAL BOARD CERTIFIED TEACHERS (NBCT)

This certificate program is designed to meet the requirements established by the Illinois State Board of Education’s Professional Standards for the Type 75 General Administrative Endorsement. The purpose of the Type 75 General Administrative Certificate for the National Board Certified Teachers is to prepare collaborative, proactive educational leaders committed to improving the quality of educational leadership knowledge in a variety of organizational contexts. Through the NBCT application process, candidates have already demonstrated vast knowledge and skills in specific skill sets of curriculum, instruction, and research areas. This program will be offered as an online and on-campus blended model of delivery which requires 20 hours of EDL courses, including a 4-hour leadership practicum (clinical internship).

DEGREES:

Master of Arts in Educational Leadership, Master of Arts in Teacher Leadership, Post-Master’s Certificate: Superintendant Concentration or Post-Master’s Certificate: Chief School Business Official Concentration, Graduate Certificate in Legal Aspects of Education